Billing method and system for collaboration solutions

ABSTRACT

Methods and systems for service providers to provide hosted enterprise solutions to businesses, allowing these businesses to collaborate with other business partners or clients, via the Internet. Under such systems and methods, service providers would allow clients to decide which partners to invite to enroll in subscription plan in order to share and minimize the cost to the clients without having the clients incur a cumbersome approval process from all their partners.

[0001] The present invention generally relates to the costing andbilling methods of service providers to their Clients, who usecollaboration enterprise applications via the Internet hosted by serviceproviders and, more particularly, a cost-sharing system provided by theproviders to the clients to manage billing activities among theircollaboration communities.

[0002] The following lists the meanings of some terms as used herein:

[0003] Partner: A business, an individual or a group with whom Clientsuse the enterprise solution to collaborate.

[0004] Service Provider: A company, which provides enterprise solutionsor enterprise solutions accounts to individuals, businesses, and othergroups.

[0005] Client: A business, an individual and a group that has beencommitted to use hosted enterprise solutions provided by the serviceprovider.

[0006] Collaboration community—A client and all of its collaborationpartners

[0007] Subscriber: A partner who purchased a subscription with theservice provider.

[0008] Invitee—A partner who will be invited to become a subscriber.

[0009] Enterprise solution: A software solution that improveproductivities, which can be used by more than one person.

[0010] Online solution: An enterprise application that runs and executeson the Internet.

[0011] Billing solution—an enterprise solution available online,provided by the service providers to the Clients, that allows theclients to administrate the cost-sharing program within theircollaboration communities.

[0012] External revenue—total revenue of a particular collaborationcommunity to the service providers, excluding client's contribution.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0013] Whereas clients are often responsible for the cost when they arecommitted to use enterprise solutions hosted by service providers tocollaborate with their partners via the Internet, their partners areoften not. Since the partners get to use the solutions paid for by theClients, although sometimes with relatively limited functions, they nowhave little incentive to subscribe to such enterprise solutions from theservice providers.

[0014] Thus, the client is often the only paying party in hiscollaboration community. This is not a fair model. In the long run,clients would harbor resentment for being the only payee in thecollaborating community, resulting in potential loss of business for theservice providers.

[0015] There are also those solutions hosted by service providers thatrequire all participants within the collaboration community to paysubscription fees based on an open formula, which treats allparticipants equally. A Client, who chooses these solutions, may inviteothers to join. In this model, clients typically obtain approvals fromall participants. This is a very cumbersome process. Until every partnerreaches an agreement, collaboration solutions cannot begin to execute.

[0016] There are also those solutions hosted by service providers thatrequire all participants within the collaboration community to paysubscription fees, according to different formulas. They nonethelessstill require a complex approval process.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0017] Clients would be better served if there were ways for them toshare the enterprise solutions cost with their collaborating partnersand that require only simple procedures for approval and consent.

[0018] A cost-sharing system and method for the clients is provided,allowing them to adapt enterprise solutions hosted by the serviceproviders, and to share such solutions costs with partners with whom theclients feel are willing to share costs, while also collaborating withthose who will not.

[0019] Cost-sharing systems are provided by the service providers to theclients, allowing the clients to improve the management of cost-sharingadministration of their collaboration communities.

[0020] Systems and methods according to some embodiments of the presentinvention also allow the service providers to reward the clients fortheir efforts in organizing and starting their collaborationcommunities, such that the entire subscription fees of the clients maybe waived.

[0021] Traditionally, clients would make financial commitments to theservice providers for the privilege of using any types of enterprisesolutions to collaborate with their partners via the Internet. In oneembodiment according to the present invention, the clients would nowhave, in addition to the above, the rights to invite his partners tosign up with the service provider directly. The clients will be giventhe flexibility to decide which partners to invite. Traditionally,clients are not given the flexibility of creating an invitee list.

[0022] Thus, the more subscribers the clients can generate, the less thefinancial obligation they have to the service providers. Potentially,the clients may be able to pass the entire cost of subscriptions to allof the subscribers, provided that the amount of external revenue, whichis pre-determined by the service providers, has been reached.Pre-determined figures can be changed from time to time, as desired bythe service providers.

[0023] To manage the dynamic membership status of partners, invitees andsubscribers within a certain collaboration community, the serviceproviders would provide cost-sharing management systems to the clientsto allow them to manage and administrate the cost-sharing programs.Clients can use this management tool to manage the process ofcost-sharing and be able to control and monitor their own subscriptionfees periodically.

[0024] The cost-sharing management system would allow the Clients tosend electronic messages to all the invitees within the clients'collaboration communities, inviting them to become subscribers. If theinvitees were interested, they would be able to enroll subscriptiononline at the service providers' enrollment web sites. If the inviteesdo not wish to enroll via the service providers' web site, they couldcontact the service providers to arrange for other means of enrollment.

[0025] Once the service providers accepted the invitees' applicationsfor subscriptions, the invitees have become subscribers. The serviceproviders would update the system, thus acknowledging the clients thattheir invitees are now subscribers. If the invitees decided not tobecome subscribers, they would also notify the service providers atenrollment web site. Service Providers will update the systems and allowaccess by their clients.

[0026] Clients are only given authorized access on their own uniquecollaboration communities.

[0027] Service providers would maintain a listing of unresponsiveinvitees, which can be accessed by the clients; the clients can sendadditional messages to urge the unresponsive invitees to make adecision. This process will continue, if desired by the clients, untilhopefully all the invitees have come to a decision.

[0028] The clients now begin a mature and a routine phase ofsubscription management.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0029] In FIG. 1, a flow chart elucidating one embodiment according tothe present invention.

[0030] In FIG. 2, a system of cost-sharing solution is depicted,allowing the client to manage, for example, the number of subscribersagainst the goal set forth by the service providers.

[0031] In FIG. 3, a system of cost-sharing solution facilitating theusage of subscriber revenue, as an example, to earn credits for theclient.

[0032] In FIG.4, applying this method to a document workflow enterprisesolution, as an example.

[0033] In FIG. 5, applying this method to a data-exchange extendedenterprise solution, as an example.

[0034] In FIG. 6, this diagram, using workflow as an example,illustrates collaboration privileges assigned to subscribers and clientsthat could, for example, be different.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] Referring to FIG. 1, at step 1, client buys a subscription withthe service provider for usage of an enterprise solution forcollaboration purposes. The enterprise solution could be developedin-house by the service provider, by an external 3^(rd) party or jointlydeveloped by both service provider and the external 3^(rd) party.

[0036] Typically, the subscription procedures end here.

[0037] At step 2, the client can use this method, as an option, toreduce his subscription fee.

[0038] At step 3, the client begins by defining all the partners withwhom he wishes to collaborate, known as a collaboration community.

[0039] At step 4, the client would create a list within thecollaboration community, known as an invitee list, by using the billingsolution facilitated by the service provider. An invitee is a partnerthe client feels would be willing to buy a subscription.

[0040] When a partner is not included in the invitee list, this mayimply that the client could be intending to either pay, or to generatemore external revenue elsewhere to earn credit to cover the enterprisesolution fees for this partner's usage.

[0041] An invitee list will change from time to time since clients'assessment of each invitee changes from time to time.

[0042] At step 5, the solution would also facilitate mail merge, merginginvitees with invitation templates to generate invitations, invitinginvitees to buy subscriptions directly with the service provider.

[0043] At step 6, the client would use the billing system to monitor thenumber of indecisive invitees. If he feels that they should be reminded,he will proceed to generating more reminders via the billing system 10.The number of undecided invitees should become less as more inviteescome to the subscription conclusion.

[0044] The reminder generation process would be repeated until hopefullyall the invitees have concluded the subscription decisions.

[0045] There are times although the number of inconclusive invitees isstill positive, the client may decide not to generate any reminders.Step 10 and step 12 can be executed in parallel.

[0046] At step 10, client would generate reminders via the clientbilling system from time to time to urge the indecisive invitees toquickly conclude the subscription decisions.

[0047] At step 12, until subscription fee reaches zero, the clientshould continue to find ways to increase external revenue. Please beadvised that the client does not have to wait until his subscription feehas been reduced to zero before proceeding to step 20. Step 20 and 16can be executed in parallel.

[0048] At step 16, the client would want to earn more credit by furtherincrease external revenue, thus generating more credit to offset thesubscription fee. External revenue could include but not limited torevenue of subscribers' subscription fees, revenue of subscribers' userssubscription fees and revenue on collaboration data volume.

[0049] At step 20, at any time, the client is in a position to calculatehow much credit he earned with the external revenue he generated. He cannow see how much the subscription fee is reduced by using this method.

[0050] At step 22, the client now enters a more mature and routinemanagement phase of managing the cost-sharing program.

[0051] Without this method, the client would either typically pay forthe solution, thus being the only payee in the collaboration community,or he would have to obtain other partners' agreement to buy subscriptionbefore collaboration can begin to execute, thus going thru a cumbersomeprocess.

[0052] This flow chart illustrated that this method makes it possiblefor the service providers to reward clients for their efforts inbuilding a collaboration community and ability to generate externalrevenue for the service provider.

[0053] Referring to FIG. 2, at label 1, on January 1, 2xxx, a client hadjust signed up for a subscription plan of 100 partners. The serviceprovider would offer a billing solution to this client, thus allowingthis client to administrate his unique collaboration community. Hiscollaboration community comprises of 100 partners.

[0054] At label 2, he created an invitees list of 80 partners. He beganto send invitations to the 80 invitees.

[0055] At label 3, since he has not sent any invitations to invitees, noinvitees have signed up.

[0056] At label 5, the client also had no indecision invitees since noinvitations have been sent.

[0057] At label 6, the service provider had set a goal of 75 newsubscribers to the client in order for him to completely waive hissubscription fee.

[0058] At label 7, on January 15, 2xxx, twenty-five invitees boughtsubscriptions. At label 8, three invitees had declined subscriptions.

[0059] At label 9, since fifty-two invitees were indecisive, he began togenerate reminders using the client billing system to urge theindecisive invitees to conclude subscriptions.

[0060] At label 10, he needed fifty additional subscribers to reduce hissubscription fee to zero.

[0061] At label 11, the reminder generation process repeated untilFebruary 20, where the indecisive invitee number has been reduced tozero. At this point, he no longer needed to generate reminders.

[0062] At label 12, he had generated seventy-six new subscribers for theservice providers.

[0063] At label 13, he has surpassed the goal set forth by the serviceproviders.

[0064] Once the clients reach the goal set forth by the serviceproviders, the billing solution will invoke an electronics message tothe clients to inform the goal has been reached.

[0065] If the client had exceeded the goal set forth by the serviceproviders and then lapsed below the goal, the billing solution willinvoke an electronics message to the clients to inform the goal has beenlapsed.

[0066] At label 14, the client no longer needed to generate additionalsubscribers since he had reached the goal.

[0067] The Client has successfully reduced his subscription fee to zeroby using this method.

[0068] Referring to FIG.3, at label 1, this subscription plan, as anexample, rewards clients who commit to larger collaboration communities.

[0069] At label 3, notice an additional partner cost becomes lower asthe community becomes larger.

[0070] At label 5, in example 1, the client signed up for a type Bsubscription plan, which required the client to pay $95 per partner.

[0071] At label 9, the client had seventy-five partners.

[0072] At label 11, he generated fifty-five new subscribers

[0073] At label 12, the client ended up with a subscription fee of$7,125 12.

[0074] At label 16, he earned credit of $5,500, equals a net saving inthe same amount.

[0075] At label 14, his net subscription fee was reduced from $7,125 12to $1,625.

[0076] At label 18, in example 2, the client signed up for a type Dsubscription plan, which required the client to pay $88 per partner.

[0077] At label 25, the client had one hundred thirty-five partners.

[0078] At label 27, the client had five partners 27 above the planlimitation.

[0079] At label 20, he had to pay for the five extra partner cost, whichis $88 each.

[0080] At label 22, he ended up with a subscription fee of $11,880.

[0081] At label 24, he generated seventy-five new subscribers.

[0082] At label 26, he earned credit of $7,500, equals a net saving ofthe same amount.

[0083] At label 27, the client exceeded the subscription plan by 5partners. Based on the subscription plan he bought, each partner cost is$88.

[0084] At label 28, his net subscription fee was reduced from $11,880 22to $4,380.

[0085] At label 32, notice in this example, the external revenue amountis greater than the credit amount.

[0086] Referring to FIG. 4, at step 1, client buys a subscription withthe service provider for usage of an enterprise solution for documentworkflow purposes. Typically, the subscription procedures end here.

[0087] At step 2, the client can use this method, as an option, toreduce his subscription fee.

[0088] At step 3, the client begins by defining all the partners thatconsists of A-Z, a total of twenty-six companies with whom he wishes todo workflow collaboration, thus defining his collaboration community.

[0089] At step 4, the client would create a list within thecollaboration community, known as an invitee list, by using the billingsolution facilitated by the service provider. The list consists ofcompanies A to T, a total of twenty invitees. Notice that companies T toZ are not among the invitees because the client does not feel that theywould buy the subscriptions.

[0090] At step 5, the solution would also facilitate mail merge, merginginvitees with invitation templates to generate invitations, invitinginvitees to buy subscriptions directly with the service provider.

[0091] At step 6, the client would use the billing system to monitor thenumber of indecisive invitees. If he feels that they should be reminded,he will proceed to generating more reminders via the billing system.

[0092] The reminder generation process would be repeated until hopefullyall the invitees have concluded the subscription decisions.

[0093] There are times although the number of inconclusive invitees isstill positive, the client may decide not to generate any reminders.Step 10 and step 12 can be executed in parallel.

[0094] At step 10, client would generate reminders via the clientbilling system from time to time to urge the indecisive invitees toquickly conclude the subscription decisions.

[0095] At step 12, until subscription fee reaches zero, the clientshould continue to find ways to increase external revenue. Please beadvised that the client does not have to wait until his subscription feehas been reduced to zero before proceeding to step 20. Step 20 and 16can be executed in parallel.

[0096] At step 16, the client would want to earn more credit by furtherincrease external revenue, thus generating more credit to offset thesubscription fee.

[0097] At step 20, at any time, the client is in a position to calculatehow much credit he earned with the external revenue he generated. He cannow see how much the subscription fee is reduced by using this method.

[0098] At step 22, the client now enters a more mature and routinemanagement phase of managing the cost-sharing program.

[0099] Referring to FIG. 5, at step 1, client buys a subscription withthe service provider for usage of an enterprise solution fordata-exchange collaboration. Typically, the subscription procedures endhere.

[0100] At step 2, the client can use this method, as an option, toreduce his subscription fee.

[0101] At step 3, the client begins by defining all the partners thatconsists of A-Z, a total of twenty-six companies with whom he wishes todo data-exchange collaboration, thus defining his collaborationcommunity.

[0102] At step 4, the client would create a list within thecollaboration community, known as an invitee list, by using the billingsolution facilitated by the service provider. The list consists ofcompanies A to T, a total of twenty invitees. Notice that companies T toZ are not among the invitees because the client does not feel that theywould buy the subscriptions.

[0103] At step 5, the solution would also facilitate mail merge, merginginvitees with invitation templates to generate invitations, invitinginvitees to buy subscriptions directly with the service provider.

[0104] At step 6, the client would use the billing system to monitor thenumber of indecisive invitees. If he feels that they should be reminded,he will proceed to generating more reminders via the billing system.

[0105] The reminder generation process would be repeated until hopefullyall the invitees have concluded the subscription decisions.

[0106] There are times although the number of inconclusive invitees isstill positive, the client may decide not to generate any reminders.Step 10 and step 12 can be executed in parallel.

[0107] At step 10, client would generate reminders via the clientbilling system from time to time to urge the indecisive invitees toquickly conclude the subscription decisions.

[0108] At step 12, until subscription fee reaches zero, the clientshould continue to find ways to increase external revenue. Please beadvised that the client does not have to wait until his subscription feehas been reduced to zero before proceeding to step 20. Step 20 and 16can be executed in parallel.

[0109] At step 16, the client would want to earn more credit by furtherincrease external revenue, thus generating more credit to offset thesubscription fee.

[0110] At step 20, at any time, the client is in a position to calculatehow much credit he earned with the external revenue he generated. He cannow see how much the subscription fee is reduced by using this method.

[0111] At step 22, the client now enters a more mature and routinemanagement phase of managing the cost-sharing program.

[0112] Referring to FIG. 6, this example illustrates that thecollaboration privileges of the client and the partners could, forexample, be different.

[0113] A client can freely design a flow to collaborate with partnerswithin his collaboration community. One way for a partner to process thesame privileges as a client would be to buy the client subscriptionplan.

[0114] At label 1, the client designs a document workflow route as shownby the solid line arrows in diagram.

[0115] At label 2, the client is the only collaboration partner for thepartners, as shown by the broken and doubled lined arrows

[0116] At label 3, a list of partners limited privileges.

[0117] At label 4, notice partners in this flow diagram havecollaboration privileges restrictions. Partners can only flow documentsfreely to the client but no to each other.

[0118] At label 6, this particular example involves three partners, twoof whom are subscribers and one is not.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of cost-sharing of a client'ssubscription to usage of a hosted enterprise solution, the methodcomprising: creating a list of partners of a client to define theclient's unique collaboration communities; creating an invitee list thatlists which partners should be invited to become subscribers to thehosted enterprise solution; and issuing, based on an amount of externalrevenue generated, credit to the clients that the clients can use tooffset against their subscription fees to the service providers forusing their hosted enterprise solutions.
 2. The method of claim 1wherein the method of cost-sharing is offered to the client as anoption.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the clients have theflexibility of deciding which partners to invite to become subscribers4. The method of claim 3, wherein the flexibility of deciding whichpartners to invite to become subscribers is a standard and open policyprovided by the service provider to the client.
 5. The method of claim1, wherein the clients have the flexibility of deciding which partnersnot to invite to become subscribers.
 6. The method of claim 5, whereinthe flexibility of deciding which partners to invite to becomesubscribers is a standard and open policy provided by the serviceprovider to the client.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the list ofpartners changes as a collaboration environment of the client changes.8. The method of claim 1, wherein each partner can independently alter asubscription status of the partner.
 9. A system for cost-sharing of aclient's subscription to usage of a hosted enterprise solution, thesystem comprising: a first module for developing new and maintainingexisting partner lists; a second module for developing new andmaintaining existing invitee lists; a third module for merging invitees'information with invitation templates to generate invitations; a fourthmodule for generating invitations via electronic mail to all invitees; afifth module for updating subscription information that is accessible byclients online, thus allowing clients to manage their subscription feesto service providers; and a sixth module for generating electronicmessages of reminders to urge unresponsive invitees to come to asubscription conclusion.
 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the systemfor cost-sharing is offered to the client as an option.
 11. The systemof claim 9, wherein the system is configured to track those who declinesubscriptions.
 12. The system of claim 9, wherein the system isconfigured to receive subscribers' credit card information.
 13. Thesystem of claim 9, wherein the sixth module is configured to repeatedlygenerate electronic messages of reminders until a pre-determinedpercentage of all invitees have come to a subscription decision, whereinthe client can readjust the pre-determined percentage.
 14. A method ofimplementing a reward program by a service provider for the benefit of aclient, the method comprising: setting, based on a pre-determinedformula, an external revenue goal for a client; offering the externalrevenue goal to the client; and the client attempts to earn credit tocompletely offset subscription fees charged by a service provideroffering the external revenue goal.
 15. The method of claim 14, whereinthe reward program is offered to the client as an option.